Abstract: A generally cylindrical, self-supporting, unitary high-temperature electrical resistance heating element is disclosed. The heating element is composed of a wire grate formed from a plurality of electrically continuous and intersecting wire segments made of electrical resistance wire. The configuration of the heating element can be maintained by a plurality of circular rings made of conductive wire and placed orthogonally at intermediate points along the length of the heating element and which can serve as electrical terminals. The resulting heating element offers advantages of low weight, high efficiency and minimal thermal inertia, and provides a unitary heater structure which provides the ability to have different temperature zones along its length.